title: Age at menarche: a predictor of diminished ovarian function?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether age at menarche is associated with functional ovarian reserve (FOR) later in life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fertility center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five hundred and two infertile women.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  Levels of menarcheal age, antimüllerian hormone (AMH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and functional ovarian reserve.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the patients was 38.9 ± 4.9 years, and their mean level of AMH was 1.4 ± 2.0 ng/mL and of FSH was 10.7 ± 6.1 mIU/mL. Their current age-specific diminished functional ovarian reserve (DFOR) was statistically significantly associated with early menarche, defined as age <13 years. Logistic regression analysis, adjusting for race, affirmed the higher likelihood of early age at menarche in infertile patients with DFOR. When women with DFOR were grouped into quartiles, early menarche (<25th percentile) was associated with statistically significantly higher DFOR risk than late menarche (>75th percentile).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrates a statistically significant impact of age at menarche on DFOR risk later in life among infertile women. The occurrence of menarche may relate to follicular pool size and/or speed of follicle recruitment, which in turn is predictive of occurrence of DFOR later in life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Center for Human Reproduction and Foundation for Reproductive Medicine, New York, New York. Electronic address: andrea.weghofer@meduniwien.ac.at.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weghofer
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Barad
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gleicher
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D054304:Anti-Mullerian Hormone / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000235:genetics; D043373:Follicle Stimulating Hormone, Human / Q000097:blood; D051860:Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein 1 / Q000235:genetics; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006579:Heterozygote; D006720:Homozygote; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008572:Menarche; D009154:Mutation; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010053:Ovary / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010641:Phenotype; D016649:Primary Ovarian Insufficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D054304:Anti-Mullerian Hormone; D015415:Biomarkers; D043373:Follicle Stimulating Hormone, Human; D051860:Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein 1; C497683:FMR1 protein, human
keywords: Antimüllerian hormone (AMH); diminished functional ovarian reserve; follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH); menarche; ovarian function